This invention relates to a device adapted to be incorporated in a body cast to mount an object such as a treatment electrode in predetermined relation to the body skin of a patient. More particularly, it relates to a device of this general character providing a securely reclosable opening in the cast facilitating ready access to the object and to the skin of the patient when needed for adjustment or cleaning, for example.
Remarkable results are being gotten today with the use of electrical stimulation in the treatment of bone fractures and other bone diseases. In one highly successful technique, the stimulation is effected by an ultrasonic electric signal applied to the skin of the patient in the vicinity of the bone fracture. Since a fracture must usually be immobilized in a cast, it has not always been easy to arrange for effective treatment with electrical stimulation. It is not desirable to embed the electrode under the cast since effective cleaning and adjustment are then not possible. Moreover, attempts that have been made to treat a patient with an electrode mounted in an opening cut in a cast have not been entirely satisfactory because of the difficulty of maintaining uniform adjustment of the electrode and preventing tampering by the patient.
It is an object of the invention, accordingly, to provide a new and improved device for mounting a treatment electrode or the like in a body cast that is free from the above-noted deficiencies of the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved mounting device of the above character which affords ready access to the treatment electrode and the skin of the patient for adjustment or cleaning, yet is tamper-proof and reliable in operation.